Latest news with #MorgantownCityCouncil
Yahoo
24-05-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Morgantown considering joining the county primary ballot in 2030
May 23—MORGANTOWN — The city of Morgantown is plotting its course toward compliance with the newly implemented state law regarding municipal elections. Senate Bill 50 — passed during the most recent legislative session and signed into law by Gov. Patrick Morrisey — requires municipalities to align their respective elections with either the statewide primary or general elections held in May or November of even-numbered years, respectively. The state is requiring all municipalities to be in compliance by the end of 2030. While it's difficult to know exactly how many municipalities are already on a state election schedule, there are at least 104 that aren't. According to Secretary of State Kris Warner's office, that's how many municipalities are scheduled to hold elections in 2025. Morgantown and Granville are among that number. Morgantown held an election April 29. Granville will hold its final standalone election June 10. Granville residents voted 270-47 in favor of moving in line with the county's primary as part of a ballot measure in November. The winners of Granville's June election — every race is unopposed — will serve a one-year term. The seats will be back up for election with the traditional two-year term as part of the county-run primary ballot in May 2026. As Morgantown City Council members serve staggered, four-year terms, the transition requires a little more runway to launch. As part of its upcoming committee of the whole agenda, the body is expected to get a first public look at a plan to make that switch, which will require an amendment to the city's charter. According to the proposed charter change, the April 2027 city election for council's 1st, 3rd, 5th and 7th wards would be for three-year terms. Likewise, the April 2029 election for the 2nd, 4th and 6th wards would be for three-year terms. Under this plan, all Morgantown City Council elections would be for full, four-year terms, held on the date of the statewide May primary election and administered by the Monongalia County starting in May 2030. Star City and Westover have both already moved onto the county's primary ballot.
Dominion Post
23-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Dominion Post
Sunny days ahead: BOPARC opens new Marilla Pool with 'first splash'
MORGANTOWN — Clouds are primarily composed of water — and yet they hate a pool party. Everybody knows it. But now they've gone too far. In a truly pathetic display, they parked themselves over Morgantown on Thursday and sprinkled on BOPARC's First Splash at Marilla Pool event in upper Marilla Park. But fall-like temperatures and the pitter-patter of petty raindrops was little match for the tropical tap-tap of the CB Studios Steel Drum Band, the rhythms of which built excitement as a pair of intrepid youths – Henry Lemasters and Connor Trumble – donned swim trunks and gave each of the facility's new water slides a test run in full view of a damp, adoring audience. The festivities ended a year's long effort to replace the 65-year-old Marilla Pool in lower Marilla Park with what is essentially a mini-water park in its upper section. 'I am overwhelmed. I'm overwhelmed with the work that was done and all the folks who worked on this, either directly or by helping get it funded and working through the process,' BOPARC Executive Director Melissa Wiles said. 'I'm just overwhelmed and very happy that we have come to the point that we're going to be able to offer this beautiful facility to the community. The project has been financed through BOPARC's portion of the city sales tax. It receives a quarter of the sales tax revenues received by the city – $2,522,673.63 in the fiscal year that ends June 30. Wiles said BOPARC is probably a month away from the final invoices coming through, but she's confident the project will be delivered at or under the original $14 million estimate. BOPARC President Danielle Trumble and member Jenny Selin are also members of Morgantown City Council. Looking out over the new amenities, Trumble explained it wasn't long ago that BOPARC was before council, hat in hand, asking for a few thousand dollars to replace a liner in a retirement-age pool. 'It's been something to watch how a park system can be transformed with just a quarter of the sales tax. It's pretty remarkable. People get back what they put in as far as tax dollars go,' Selin added. 'To have the ability to have a sales tax and put it into action makes a huge difference for people's daily lives. All summer long, kids and families, young adults, older adults, people coming here for classes and exercise, they're going to love it. It's just a fabulous facility.' And it's just the beginning. A stone's throw from the pool complex, the finishing touches are being added to a new, 7,400-square-foot, $620,000 playground. Down the road, the much-discussed improvements to the Morgantown Ice Arena are in progress and slated for an October completion. Next month, a total reimagining of lower Marilla Park – including a new, centrally-located action / skate park in the former pool footprint – goes out for bid. 'Projects like this are an example of money well spent and a good use of taxpayer dollars. This is going to add enjoyment to the city of Morgantown and the quality of life of residents for decades,' Trumble said. 'And there are a lot of big projects coming down the pipeline. It's a great time to live in the city of Morgantown.' But what about her son's decision to brave the elements in search of first-splash glory? 'He and [Henry] knew about this opening weeks before we learned the weather was going to be so bad. They're 11-year-old boys. There is no changing direction once they get their hearts set on something.' According to Wiles, her 23 years in parks and recreation has taught her that there's less than coin-flip odds that West Virginia's Memorial Day weekend weather will chase crowds to the pool. Even so, BOPARC's pools will be open Saturday, Sunday and Monday. 'We're not letting the weather dampen our mood,' she said. 'There's plenty of sunny days ahead.' For more information, including admission rates, season passes and rental opportunities, check out
Dominion Post
09-05-2025
- General
- Dominion Post
Retaining history: Morgantown walls receive historic designation
MORGANTOWN — A city built in the hills is built on retaining walls. Take a look around. They're everywhere. Earlier this week, Morgantown Mayor Joe Abu-Ghannam announced that three such structures have received a joint historical designation for their association with the Works Progress Administration (WPA) and other New Deal programs implemented in the 1930s as a response to the Great Depression. Deckers Creek Wall The Deckers Creek Wall is an ashlar-stone retaining wall located along the Monongahela River tributary near downtown Morgantown. The wall, built to prevent erosion of land into the creek, is 1,270 feet long and nine-to-10 courses, or block layers, tall depending on the location. According to the application submitted to the U.S. Department of the Interior, there is historical documentation in Morgantown City Council minutes linking the wall to the early Reconstruction Finance Corp. and the Civil Works Administration, as well as the WPA. Council meeting minutes indicate the stone for the wall was initially pulled from the Suncrest Quarry, then the Booth Creek stone quarry, located about three miles south of Morgantown. Minutes show the wall was a topic of council discussion starting in 1933, when construction of a rip rap wall was initiated along Deckers Creek 'in the Hog Back vicinity.' Construction, repair, reinforcement and reconstruction continued until 1943. Eighth Street Stone Retaining Walls The Eighth Street Stone Retaining Walls are located along the west side of the street between University and Grant avenues. According to Morgantown City Council minutes, the walls were built between 1934 and 1937 to retain the terrace upon which homes were constructed. Each section of wall runs approximately 80 feet. They are constructed of sandstone with rectangular raised joints and a top cap. There are three plaques indicating that the walls were constructed in 1934 by workers under the Federal Emergency Relief Administration. The walls are made of rough-faced ashlar stone – meaning cut, dressed and stacked – indicative of the construction style of the New Deal era. Regular progress reports appear in the city council minutes until May 1937. According to the application, 'the walls are a physical example of Depression-Era relief and workmanship. They are an example of federal relief program funding put to use in Morgantown.' Richwood Avenue Wall The Richwood Avenue Wall is a massive sandstone retaining wall on the south side of Richwood Avenue, but it's not visible from the street. Built between 1936 and1937, the wall forms the northern boundary of Whitemoore Park and creates a 'substantial landscape feature' when viewed from the park due to its rough-faced stones and large, regularly-spaced buttresses. The wall is a total length of 1,280 feet and stands between 11-to-15 feet tall in most places depending on terrain. It was constructed in two sections separated by a short peninsula of lawn that provides access down to the 8.6-acre park below. The wall is marked 'WPA 1936,' and described in the designation request as 'one of the best preserved and well documented New Deal Era stone walls compared to other walls in the area.' According to Morgantown City Council meeting minutes from April 17, 1934, the city manager reported that there had been a large slip into Whitemoore Park, which appears to have been the impetus to apply for WPA funding and initiate a large retaining wall project. In 1937, the wall was dedicated in a ceremony that drew 5,000 people and included a mile-long parade according to newspaper reports. The Dominion News reported the event's attendees included Morgantown Mayor Harry Largent, Congressman Jennings Randolph and the regional engineer for the WPA program.
Dominion Post
09-05-2025
- Business
- Dominion Post
Morgantown sales tax revenue surpasses $10 million in FY 2025
MORGANTOWN — The city of Morgantown collected more than $10 million in sales taxes in the current fiscal year. It's the first time collections have reached eight digits since the city utilized Home Rule to implement the additional 1% tax in 2020. Earlier this week, Morgantown City Council approved a resolution amending the city's projected sales tax revenue to reflect an increase of $490,694.51 in the 2025 fiscal year, bringing the total to $10,090,694.51. That number represents a new high-water mark for sales tax collections and an increase of $196,096.54 over the 2024 fiscal year. 'You're more than welcome when you can come and you can tell us we're not dealing with negatives, we're dealing with positives,' Councilor Bill Kawecki told Finance Director Jon Ferguson. 'To put things in perspective, this money is not just a gift, it's pretty much allocated to various activities that we have ongoing. You mentioned the pension plan, but also I think it helps to take care of some of the employee health insurance that we had to dip into funds to cover, if I'm not mistaken.' The enabling legislation mandates tax revenues be distributed in the following manner: 25% for recreational facilities and services operated by BOPARC; 25% for the purpose of reducing the unfunded actuarial accrued liability of the city's police and firefighter pension funds; 25% for capital improvement projects within the city; and 25% to be allocated at the discretion of Morgantown City Council into the city's general fund or used to supplement the funding going to the three uses listed above. Ferguson confirmed that the additional revenue going into the city's general fund would offset some of the $1.45 million the city 'temporarily borrowed' from its general fund in January to cover increases in the cost of the city's self-funded insurance plan. While the sales tax revenues topped the $10 million threshold in the 2025 fiscal year, it's expected they may drop by up to 10% in FY 2026. The upcoming spending plan conservatively anticipates just over $9 million in sales taxes. If that number holds, it would be the lowest full-year collection, by a considerable margin, since the city implemented the tax. The reduction comes down to the state implementing a more precise method of determining what businesses are located within a municipality, resulting in the probability that some businesses located on the periphery of the city have been collecting Morgantown sales taxes and remitting them to the state for distribution despite not being within the city's boundaries. Historical sales tax collections by the city of Morgantown include: — $5,457,116.46 for fiscal year 2021. This represented two quarters of collections. — $9,541,906.24 for fiscal year 2022. The city budgeted $6 million. — $9,464,938.11 for fiscal year 2023. The city budgeted $8.8 million — $9,894,597.97 for fiscal year 2024. The city budgeted $9.56 million — $10,090,694.51 for fiscal year 2025. The city budgeted $9.6 million.
Yahoo
09-05-2025
- General
- Yahoo
Retaining history: Morgantown walls receive historic designation
May 8—MORGANTOWN — A city built in the hills is built on retaining walls. Take a look around. They're everywhere. Earlier this week, Morgantown Mayor Joe Abu-Ghannam announced that three such structures have received a joint historical designation for their association with the Works Progress Administration (WPA) and other New Deal programs implemented in the 1930s as a response to the Great Depression. Deckers Creek Wall The Deckers Creek Wall is an ashlar-stone retaining wall located along the Monongahela River tributary near downtown Morgantown. The wall, built to prevent erosion of land into the creek, is 1, 270 feet long and nine-to-10 courses, or block layers, tall depending on the location. According to the application submitted to the U.S. Department of the Interior, there is historical documentation in Morgantown City Council minutes linking the wall to the early Reconstruction Finance Corp. and the Civil Works Administration, as well as the WPA. Council meeting minutes indicate the stone for the wall was initially pulled from the Suncrest Quarry, then the Booth Creek stone quarry, located about three miles south of Morgantown. Minutes show the wall was a topic of council discussion starting in 1933, when construction of a rip rap wall was initiated along Deckers Creek "in the Hog Back vicinity." Construction, repair, reinforcement and reconstruction continued until 1943. Eighth Street Stone Retaining Walls The Eighth Street Stone Retaining Walls are located along the west side of the street between University and Grant avenues. According to Morgantown City Council minutes, the walls were built between 1934 and 1937 to retain the terrace upon which homes were constructed. Each section of wall runs approximately 80 feet. They are constructed of sandstone with rectangular raised joints and a top cap. There are three plaques indicating that the walls were constructed in 1934 by workers under the Federal Emergency Relief Administration. The walls are made of rough-faced ashlar stone — meaning cut, dressed and stacked — indicative of the construction style of the New Deal era. Regular progress reports appear in the city council minutes until May 1937. According to the application, "the walls are a physical example of Depression-Era relief and workmanship. They are an example of federal relief program funding put to use in Morgantown." Richwood Avenue Wall The Richwood Avenue Wall is a massive sandstone retaining wall on the south side of Richwood Avenue, but it's not visible from the street. Built between 1936 and1937, the wall forms the northern boundary of Whitemoore Park and creates a "substantial landscape feature " when viewed from the park due to its rough-faced stones and large, regularly-spaced buttresses. The wall is a total length of 1, 280 feet and stands between 11-to-15 feet tall in most places depending on terrain. It was constructed in two sections separated by a short peninsula of lawn that provides access down to the 8.6-acre park below. The wall is marked "WPA 1936, " and described in the designation request as "one of the best preserved and well documented New Deal Era stone walls compared to other walls in the area." According to Morgantown City Council meeting minutes from April 17, 1934, the city manager reported that there had been a large slip into Whitemoore Park, which appears to have been the impetus to apply for WPA funding and initiate a large retaining wall project. In 1937, the wall was dedicated in a ceremony that drew 5, 000 people and included a mile-long parade according to newspaper reports. The Dominion News reported the event's attendees included Morgantown Mayor Harry Largent, Congressman Jennings Randolph and the regional engineer for the WPA program.
